Originally, Open Source referred to Open Source Software ( OSS ). This software is code designed to be publicly accessible: anyone can view, modify, and distribute the code .
The way to develop it is through community review and production, thus in a collaborative and decentralized manner . Therefore, it is more flexible, cost-effective, and durable than other proprietary alternatives.
This software is important because many people can innovate and need these synergies among themselves. It’s about sharing knowledge and innovation that benefits the community. Many open source projects have advanced exponentially.
A Brief History of Open Source
In the 1950s and 1960s, researchers who developed early Internet technologies and telecommunications network protocols relied on an open, collaborative research environment.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network ( ARPANET ) became the foundation for the modern Internet , encouraging peer review and open feedback. Discussions were facilitated through forums .
In this guide we will explain what open source is , what tools and platforms can be used for its development and how to contribute and create freely in Open Source .
Who regulates open source software?
All types of open source software are regulated by a global non-profit organization. This is the OSI , the Open Source Initiative . This is a document that legally defines the conditions that make software open source .
The OSI has a number of approved licenses and approves new ones in the open source community .
Open Source Principles
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<p><strong><span>Open collaboration:</span></strong></p>
<p><span>Community projects encourage teamwork; there are problems that individuals cannot solve alone, and therefore, they need the community to solve them. One <a class=)
fax lists of their strengths is developing and improving what another user has built.
Community:
They are all the people who are part of it and come together to achieve a common goal. Their shared goals and values guide decision-making. These decisions are more effective because they are based on the discoveries and ideas of others.
Transparency:
The entire community has access to open source projects, both information and materials.
Rapid prototyping:
Team members frequently create and share prototypes. This is why these projects follow an iterative approach. As they create prototypes, they experiment. Changes that work can be implemented and those that don’t can be improved.
Inclusive meritocracy:
This movement encourages diverse perspectives and conversations. Community decisions are made by consensus, but success is always prioritized. Ideas that among these challenges: garner the most support or require the most effort receive the most support.
Contribute to Open Source
There are many ways to get involved with an open source project , it is not strictly necessary to contribute code . We detail some of those ways below.
Planning events:
You can organize workshops, project meetings, or the conference.
Design:
You can improve project usability by restructuring layouts, refining project navigation, creating a style guide, or creating logos.
Write:
Improve project documentation, write tutorials, translate documentation, start the newsletter.
Organize:
Link duplicate issues, suggest new tags and close older ones, ask clear questions in open issues.
Program:
Find an open issue to address, ask if you can write new features, automate project setup, and improve tools.
Help:
You can answer questions about the project, answer people’s questions on open issues, or moderate discussion forums.
This community is very important; thanks to its cooperative spirit, the programs improve with each update. Furthermore, the community provides support and assistance to those who need it. It also gives people the freedom to use, access, study, and improve the programs.
Tools and Platforms for Open Source Development
Github:
It is a code hosting platform that uses Git , a distributed version control system that facilitates collaboration on software projects .
Github is a cloud-based hosting service for Git repositories . It’s the leading and most well-known solution in the open source community . Microsoft acquired it in 2018.
It offers project hosting managed with Git and additional access control features to different collaborative tools .
GitLab:
It’s the only DevOps platform that presents the entire workflow in a single application. Since 2011, it has been one of the leaders in web development hosting .
It has two versions: GitLab CE (Community Edition), for individuals, and GitLab EE (Enterprise Edition), for businesses.
If you want to learn how to develop, or improve your skills as a developer, we recommend some free resources that can help you.
The Odin Project:
It’s a platform that searches for the best free resources . Its main benefit is that the developer community provides support via an online chat .
Students begin with an Introduction to Web Development course , then move on to more in-depth modules including HTML , CSS , Javascript , Git , databases , and more.
The tutorials are very flexible, allowing japan datastudents to learn the lessons in order or skip them as needed.
FullStackOpen:
The main focus of this resource is on building single-page applications with ReactJS that leverage REST APIs built with Node.js. It also includes a section on GraphQL . It’s divided into 12 parts, each of which features a mini app .
Web Dev:
This Google resource allows developers to learn, create, and improve web pages . They provide this resource so websites can explore their full potential.
The tool has two sections: the learning section and the website audit section .
While the first offers guides and tutorials for optimizing web pages , the second generates reports on page performance improvements.
Google Digital Garage:
This platform offers a wide variety of free content designed to help you grow your business. It has categories such as data development and digital marketing .
It has more than 125 courses for those who want to develop their digital skills.
At All Cloud Consulting , we have several open source CMSs , such a